Coach Your Son Into Wise Decisions

Larry says his wife took their son to check out a school and signed him up for classes. A two-year degree is $61,000 and they're in the middle of their debt snowball. How can Larry best protect himself?

QUESTION: Larry in Louisville says his son wants to go to a culinary arts school. His wife took their son to check out the school and signed him up for classes. Larry objects to it since a two-year degree at this school is $61,000 and they’re in the middle of their debt snowball. How can Larry best protect himself? Dave says he can’t unless there’s a divorce.

ANSWER: No, you don’t do this, and you desperately need marriage counseling. Your methodology in your marriage of making decisions is absolutely horrid. I’m a multimillionaire, and I run a large business, and I don’t make $61,000 decisions without talking to my wife. And my wife doesn’t make $61,000 decisions without me being in agreement.

Divorce is the only way you can protect yourself. There are only two ways you can do this. You can learn to work together and have respect for each other enough to make decisions together, and your wife is freaking out of control. You desperately need marriage counseling. You either get in marriage counseling and you learn to work together and that protects you, or divorce protects you. But you can’t protect yourself and stay married to people who are committing financial suicide on a daily basis. It won’t work.

As far as your son goes, you need to spend some more time with him and coach him through making wise decisions to where he’s not walking in and telling you what he’s doing all the time. This young man is just lurching around out there. He needs his dad to come alongside him and walk with him and firmly guide him so that he makes better decisions. He desperately needs that from you.

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